August 1, 1991

Medicare Fee Plan Faulted A Federal advisory panel said the Administration's revision of Medicare fees could make it harder for the aged to get health care. Page A17. Smith Rape Trial Delayed

A year ago, Carl C. Icahn was in an enviable position at Trans World Airlines. He was firmly in control, but he had not a penny invested in it. But now, as a result of an ill-timed investment in T.W.A.'s junk bonds, Mr. Icahn has much more at risk. And he will have to put in $35 million more to keep control.

IT'S August, and Americans are on the move. In airplanes, rowboats, hiking boots, vans and riding saddles, we the people are pursuing that annual contradiction in terms, the family vacation. Never mind that last year the children almost strangled one another in the back seat of the car. Or that they found the souvenir shop much more fascinating than the views at the Grand Canyon. Or that the best they could ever say was, "When are we going home?"

COVETING thy neighbor's real estate may be one of New Yorkers' favorite pastimes. Since there are few high fences or daunting distances to shield the homes of the very privileged and the very lucky from the rest of humanity, those prone to envy can bask in happy longing as they roam the streets. They may be attracted to a glittering chandelier on the ceiling of a brownstone's front parlor, a flawless lawn on a rundown block or an oversize stretch of windows high in a Manhattan apartment tower. These glimpses can be a source of thrills, the same thrill that Stella Dallas enjoyed in that 1937 movie as she stood in the rain and watched, through a window, her daughter marry a rich man's son. They can also be a source of cheap decorating ideas. For the fortunate enough to live behind these desirable walls, life is not always as easy as it looks from the outside. Residents say that while they often find themselves sighing contentedly as they gaze around their rooms, they also face all the hazards of fame: namely, jealous friends and far worse, tourists gathered on the doorstep begging to come in. On page C6, entry is granted to the six special corners of New York City pictured here. Stay as long as you like.

The Energy Department's inspector general has found that security personnel at the nation's nuclear weapons plants acquired and used equipment for wiretapping, eavesdropping and other surveillance in violation of department regulations and Federal law. According to the findings, some of the employees who were spied on had publicly complained of serious safety problems at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Washington State. The inspector general's report directly contradicts assertions by Hanford's security directors that the plant had no such surveillance equipment. Article, page A18.